1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally relates to a seat for a vehicle, and more specifically to the seat having at least one energy absorbing feature.
2. Description of the Related Art
Seats for a vehicle and specifically a back portion of the seat typically must meet structural requirements by having sufficient strength to support repeated loads, which are exerted on the back portion of the seat, or seat back, during a crash event. For example, when a vehicle is hit from behind by another vehicle, a mass of an occupant applies a large force on the seat back over a small time period. To meet these structural requirements, the seat back is generally formed from metal such as steel, aluminum, or magnesium. For example, the seat back made from steel is able to meet the structural requirements by providing sufficient stiffness, strength, and ductility to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements.
Recently, more features and content have been designed into the seat back. As a result, a cost to manufacture the seat back has increased. In order to reduce costs, seat backs previously manufactured from metals are now being manufactured from a polymeric material. The seat backs produced from the polymeric material offer the ability to reduce the number of features and content designed into the seat back and therefore reduce manufacturing and assembly costs. Furthermore, weight reduction is another possible benefit of using polymeric material for the seat back, as well as greater design freedom and reduced profile, giving the vehicle increased interior space. However, the seat back made from the polymeric material must still meet the structural requirements for a crash event. For example, during a rear impact collision, the vehicle is accelerated in a forward direction. This causes the seat back to apply acceleration forces to the occupant over a short period of time. Therefore, the seat backs are typically required to manage the acceleration forces applied to the occupant while not exceeding deformation limits.